Adventures in Hitchhiking
by shopgirl152
Summary: For Phineas, thumbing his way to the next gig is always an adventure. Especially when it involves a quirky family from Chicago. But an up always follows a down and lucky for him, he's about to be saved by a familiar face. one-shot. Phineas/Dipper & Mabel. Occurs after Coming Home.


**A/N 1: **So this is set about three months after Coming Home. Phineas is still touring around, hitchhiking to solo gigs. He's 30 years old here, so the same age as in Coming Home.  
**A/N 2:** Song used: Wagon Wheel by Darius Rucker.

* * *

Phineas sat on the side of the road, watching as several cars zoomed past, not a single one slowing down. He sighed and sat down on the ground, checking his watch. "I better hitch a ride soon; I'm due to play in Raleigh in four hours." The red head watched another car zoom by. "Well, I guess I can always walk." He swung his guitar around to the front and started strumming a tune as he walked. "Heading down south to the land of the pines, I'm thumbing my way into North Carolina…"

He paused, looking down the road. "Staring up the road and pray to God I see headlights." He continued on.

_I made it down the coast in seventeen hours  
__picking me a bouquet of dogwood flowers  
__and I'm hopin for Raleigh, I can see my Izzy tonight__  
_

_So rock me momma like a wagon wheel  
__Rock me momma any way you feel  
__Hey momma rock me  
__Rock me momma like the wind and the rain  
__Rock me momma like a south bound train  
__Hey momma rock me__  
_

He plucked a few strings on the guitar, stopping as a car pulled up alongside him. A woman with blonde hair rolled down the window. "Hi there. Need a lift?"

"Where are you heading?"

"We're on our way to a dance competition in South Carolina." A teenage girl with carrot colored hair stared at him from the passenger seat. "Hey…why is your head shaped like a triangle?"

He smirked. "Dunno. It's always been that way." He returned his attention to the driver. "If you don't mind, I'd like to hitch a ride with you. I'm on my way to Raleigh and I have to be there in four hours."

"Well hop on in!" The woman unlocked the door. "Flynn, scoot over." She watched as Phineas climbed inside. "My name's Georgia and these are my kids Cece and Flynn." She pointed to the red head in the passenger seat and the boy in the back. "Oh, and my other daughter, Rocky."

"Hi! It's nice to meet you." Rocky waved as he squeezed into the backseat. "So what are you headed to Raleigh for?"

"I have a concert tonight. I'm a singer."

"Very cool." Rocky grinned. "What kind of music do you play?"

"It varies. Whatever I'm in the mood for. I'm actually a cover artist."

"Would you mind singing a song for us?"

Cece turned around, eyeing her best friend. "Rocky, I'm sure he doesn't want to be bothered."

"Oh, it's okay. I don't mind at all." Phineas adjusted himself as best he could and continued the song he had been playing earlier. "Running from the cold up in New England, I was born to be a fiddler in an old time string band, my baby plays a guitar, I pick a banjo now." He picked a few strings on the guitar. "Oh north country winters keep a-getting me down, lost my money playing poker so I had to leave town. But I ain't a-turning back, to livin that old life no more—"

"Oh bluegrass. Very interesting. Did you know—"

"Rocky, nobody wants to hear your useless trivia on the history of bluegrass," Cece whined.

"Well, somebody might."

"I'd love to hear it."

"See?" She pointed to the red head. "A fellow intellectual."

Cece rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Hey, can I pour ranch dressing on your head?" Flynn looked up at the taller man. "Your head reminds me of a Dorito and I haven't eaten anything since lunch."

_So rock me momma like a wagon wheel  
__Rock me momma any way you feel  
__Hey momma rock me  
__Yeah rock me momma like the wind and the rain  
__Rock me momma like a south bound train  
__Hey momma rock me__  
_

* * *

Two hours later, Georgia pulled the car to a stop in front of a theater. "Well Phineas, I'm afraid this is our stop. We're not going much further than this. I hope you make it to North Carolina." She paused as the kids climbed out of the car, waiting until they were out of earshot before speaking again. "I apologize for my kids. I should really trade them in."

He smiled. "No problem. I have a daughter, so I know how it goes."

Georgia returned the smile. "Take care Phineas."

"You too." He sighed as the car drove off. "Guess it's back to thumbing rides." Phineas stuck his thumb out, hoping to flag down another vehicle.

_Walking to the south out of Roanoke  
__I caught a trucker out of Philly we had a nice long talk…__  
_

He put his thumb down as a yellow semi with the words Mobile Mammal Trucking on the side in blue letters slowed down and came to a stop next to him. The window rolled down and the red head broke into a grin. "Dipper?"

"Phineas?" Dipper smiled. "Hey, need a lift?"

"You know it! Boy am I glad to see you!"

"Mabel, move over." After a few seconds, the passenger door opened. "Hop in."

Phineas climbed into the cab of the truck, his eyes landing on a girl in a pair of jeans and a yellow camisole. She had long brown hair and looked up at him in shock.

"Dipper, is that…?"

"Yep." The trucker motioned between the two. "Phineas, this is my sister Mabel; Mabel, this is Phineas. He's the one who helped me find you. Or rather, convinced me to keeping looking for you."

The red head smiled. "Hey Mabel. It's nice to finally meet you. Dipper told me a lot about you."

"Are you single?"

"Ugh. Mabel."

Phineas laughed, digging something from his wallet. "Not for awhile now." He handed Mabel a photo. "That's my wife Isabella and my daughter Abigail."

Mabel gasped. "Your wife's so pretty!" She handed the photo back.

"Yeah." Phineas smiled softly at the photo before placing it back in his wallet. He glanced behind him. "Whoa. Nice digs. Dipper, did you get an upgrade? The sleeping quarters look great!"

"Thanks. Yeah, after the last time I saw you, Mabel decided to travel with me, so we needed a bigger space. Luckily, the manager of Mobile Mammal Trucking was able to give us a really nice upgrade."

The red head went to say something, only to decide against it.

"Do you play guitar?" Mabel gushed over the instrument on the floor of the cab. "Dipper said you sing."

"Yep. I sure do."

"Can you sing something for us?"

"Sure." He eyed the driver. "Is that okay with you Dipper? I know last time—"

"It's fine. Just not a song that will make me cry again."

"What?" Mabel looked at her brother. "You never told me—"

"I don't tell you everything." He smirked. "Besides, that's between Phineas and I. Right Phineas?"

The red head nodded in confirmation. "Yep." He tuned a few strings on his guitar. "And don't worry Dipper, I think you're actually going to like this one." He started to play, only to pause. "By the way, where are you guys headed anyway?"

"We're actually on our way to Johnson City Tennessee to deliver a shipment of bananas, but we can take you wherever you need to go."

"Can you get me to Raleigh North Carolina?" He checked his watch. "Preferably in…two hours?"

"Sure. They don't need the bananas for a few more days. We can take a detour."

"Yay! Road trip!"

"Mabel, we're already _on_ a road trip. Our whole _life_ is a road trip."

The red head laughed. "You two are definitely siblings." He strummed his guitar, singing. "I gotta get a move on before the sun, I hear my Izzy calling my name and I know that she's the only one—"

"Ooo…I love this song!"

"Well join in."

Mabel joined in, singing slightly off key. "And if I die in Raleigh, at least I will die free!"

"Sing along Dipper. I'm sure Mabel and I aren't the only ones who know this song."

Dipper joined in, the three singing as the trucker drove down the highway toward North Carolina.

_So rock me momma like a wagon wheel  
__Rock me momma any way you feel  
__Hey momma rock me  
__Oh, rock me momma like the wind and the rain  
__Rock me momma like a south bound train  
__Hey, hey momma rock me__  
_

* * *

_Two hours later…_

"Well Phineas, we made it. Raleigh North Carolina." Dipper glanced over at the red head as he pulled the semi to a stop outside a small concert venue. Soo…I guess we'll see you later then."

Phineas checked his watch as he prepared to climb out of the cab. "There's fifteen minutes to spare; why don't you guys stay and watch? It's going to be a fun concert. I can get you in for free."

"Really?" Mabel practically shrieked. "Come on Dipper! It'll be fun!"

The trucker shrugged. "Alright. Why not?"

"Great! Go park the semi somewhere and I'll meet you guys out back. You can come onstage with me."

"Oh my gosh! This is so cool! We get to go onstage with _the_ Phineas Flynn!"

Dipper smirked as he pulled the semi around back. "Mabel, up until two hours ago, you didn't even know who Phineas _was_."

"I don't care. When you have an in with someone, you take it. Besides, now I can say I know someone famous."

* * *

"Oh, so rock me momma like a wagon wheel, rock me momma any way you feel—"

"Wow. He's really good." Dipper watched from backstage as Phineas performed for the crowd.

"Yeah he is. And the song's really catchy too." Mabel did a little jig, causing her brother to laugh.

"Hey, hey momma rock me…" Phineas motioned for the backup band to keep playing before returning his attention to the audience. "Hi everyone! It's great to be up here performing for you tonight; there's so much energy here. It's great, isn't it?" The crowd cheered. "I know right? Anyway, for the end of the song, I'd like to bring out two friends of mine. They had a huge part in getting me here and I'd like to introduce you to them."

"What?" Dipper's face went white as a sheet. "Uh—"

"Come on Dipper!" Before he could protest, Mabel grabbed her brother's hand, hauling him onstage.

Phineas grinned as they walked out, motioning to two additional microphone stands on either side of him. He pressed the mute button on the floor. "You guys ready?"

"Yeah!" Mabel took the microphone to the red head's left.

Dipper looked at his friend. "We can't really sing."

"That's okay. Just have fun with it." He waited until the other man was standing at the other microphone. "Ready?" Without waiting for a response, Phineas unmuted the mic. "Dipper and Mabel everyone!" The crowd cheered as the three sang.

_Rock me momma like the wind and the rain  
__Rock me momma like a southbound train  
__Hey momma rock me  
__You can rock me__  
_

"Rock me!" The three sang the last words, dancing around onstage. As the music began to slow down, Phineas walked over, wrapping his arms around the twins. He grinned as the last fiddle died away.

"Thank you North Carolina! Good night!"

* * *

"That was amazing!" Mabel bounced around the venue, doing a sidestep as a roadie came to take away the drums onstage. "Dipper, we were famous!"

"Yeah. I have to admit, that was kind of cool."

"Kind of? Dipper we—"

"So, did you guys enjoy yourselves?" Phineas walked up to them, hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans.

"You bet we did!"

He laughed. "Well I'm glad, because—"

"Am I interrupting anything?"

The red head's face broke into a grin at the voice. He wheeled around. "Izzy!" He ran to his wife, scooping her up in his arms and twirling her around. "You made it!"

"Of course I did. You didn't think I'd miss my husband touring, did you? I had to come and watch you perform at least once."

"I'm glad you finally did. How was the drive?"

"Not bad. How was yours?"

"Oh fine. Not to much traffic." He noticed something. "Where's Abby?"

"Oh, I left her with Buford and Adyson." She gave him a coy smile, walking her fingers up her husband's chest. "It's been awhile since we had some alone time…"

"Ahem."

Phineas started, remembering the others in the room. He smiled sheepishly. "Isabella, this is Dipper and his sister Mabel."

Isabella turned her attention to the twins. "It's very nice to meet you." She studied Dipper. "Hey, weren't you the one who dropped Phineas off a few months ago?"

"Yep. That's me alright."

She gave him a warm smile. "Thank you for bringing my husband home."

"Sure. Don't mention it."

She turned to Mabel. "And you must be—"

"Wow! You're even prettier in person!"

Isabella laughed. "Why thank you very much."

"So Phineas, is there someplace else Mabel and I could take you?" Dipper asked.

"Thanks Dipper, but I think Izzy and I are going to stay somewhere around here tonight. We have some…uh…unfinished business to take care of." Phineas and Isabella went to walk away, only for the red head to turn back. He looked at his wife. "You go; I'll be along in a minute."

She kissed him on the cheek. "Don't be to long."

"I won't." Phineas waited until his wife was gone before turning his attention back to Dipper. "Do you have a cell? I thought maybe we could trade numbers. You know, in case I ever needed a lift again or you needed to talk."

"Yeah! Definitely." Dipper fished around in his cargo pants, pulling out his cell phone and swapping it with Phineas phone.

"Is that the right number?" Mabel asked, peering over her brother's shoulder. "That's not the number for the burner cell is it?"

"Burner cell?" Phineas looked up from the phone. "What?"

"Nothing! It's nothing! Burner phone? Why would I have a burner phone?" He laughed nervously, pulling Mabel toward him, whispering through clenched teeth. "Mabel, I thought we weren't going to mention that."

"Oh right. Sorry. I forgot."

The red head studied the pair a moment before dismissing it. He finished typing in his number, handing it back to Dipper and taking back his own cell. "Thanks Dipper."

"Sure." He waved as Phineas walked away. "Take care Phineas. Be careful out there. Call me if you ever need a lift."

"You bet! Bye Dipper!" The red head waved before jogging out the door of the concert venue.

Dipper turned to his sister, stopping at the smirk on her face. "What?"

"Aww…that's cute." Her smirk morphed into a teasing smile. "You have a man crush on Phineas."

"No I don't."

"You're blushing."

"No I'm not!" He took his hat off, swatting her with it. "You're being ridiculous."

"Oh, am I? Hmm…?"

"_Stop_."

"Admit it."

"Ugh. _Fine_." The trucker pulled his hat down over his eyes. "Okay, fine. Yes, I think he's cool and I kind of want to be like him, but I don't like him romantically." He pushed the brim of his cap up with a thumb. "I just think he's really cool okay? And I'm kind of jealous…"

"What was that? You mumbled that last part."

Dipper sighed. "I'm jealous he can play the guitar." He glared at his sister. "Happy?"

"Nope. Admit you have a man crush."

"Ugh. Mabel."

"Come on…"

"Hi, I'm Dipper and I have a man crush on Phineas."

"Who?"

"I have a man crush on Phineas Flynn! There! _Now_ are you happy?"

"Much."

He rolled his eyes, slinging an arm around his sister's shoulders, the pair walking out to the semi. "Come on; that shipment of bananas isn't going to drive itself to Johnson City."

* * *

**A/N 3:** I'm not sure what the deal with the burner phone is. I know Dipper uses it to contact Grunkle Stan, but at this point, it's more of a running gag than anything else. Hope you guys enjoyed the story!


End file.
